Benzene is present in wood smoke in proportionately significant quantities, in as much so that we cannot ignore its disadvantageously significant health effect upon humans to any degree. In short, benzene causes cancer!

In 1903, Ludwig Roselius popularized the use of benzene to decaffeinate coffee. This discovery led to theproduction of Sanka (the letters "ka" in the brand name stand for kaffein). This process was later discontinued.Benzene was historically found as a significant component in many consumer products such as Liquid Wrench, Testors model cement, several paint strippers, rubber cements, spot removers and other hydrocarbon-containing products. Some, like Testors, ceased manufacture of its benzene formula about 1950 while others continued to use benzene as a component or significant contaminant until the late 1970s when leukemia deaths were found associated with Goodyear's Pliofilm production operations in Ohio. Until the late 1970s, many hardware stores, paint stores, and other retail outlets sold benzene in small cans, such as quart size, for general-purpose use. Many students were exposed to benzene in school and university courses while performing laboratory experiments with little or no ventilation in many cases. This very dangerous practice has been almost totally eliminated.

"Another source of exposure to benzene for the general population is the use of domestic wood stoves. It has been estimated that approximately 10% of the space heating in urban areas of the northern UnitedStates is from wood burning, with up to 50% in smaller, rural towns (Larson and Koenig 1994). Benzenehas been found to be a major component of the emissions from wood burning, especially from efficientflame combustion, and constituted roughly 10–20% by weight of total non-methane hydrocarbons(Barrefors and Petersson 1995)..."

Cancer Risk: Increased incidence of leukemia (cancer of the tissues that form white blood cells) has been observed inhumans occupationally exposed to benzene. (1,4) EPA has classified benzene as a Group A, known human carcinogen.

This is awful, awful stuff to hear. While it's upsetting that we're polluting out air with awful toxic waste, but we're causing detrimental harm to ourselves. It's really no wonder cancer is so rampant on our planet -- along with other awful, awful conditions.

Thanks for sharing these Wikipedia articles. I'll be sure to share them with others!

Olivia the Oxygen QueenAt the rate the environment is suffering, we're all gonna need an oxygen concentrator!

Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. It is sometimes abbreviated Ph–H. Benzene is a colorless and highly flammable liquid with a sweet smell. Because it is a known carcinogen, its use as an additive in gasoline is now limited, but it is an important industrial solvent and precursor in the production of drugs, plastics, synthetic rubber, and dyes. Benzene is a natural constituent of crude oil, and may be synthesized from other compounds present in petroleum.

"The main sources of the pollutants were found to be from wood burning and traffic emissions, but wood smoke wasthe biggest contributor of many organic compounds, including benzene, ethene and ethyne, all of which are knownto be harmful to human health. Up to 70 per cent of benzene detected in the air was from wood smoke.When weather conditions, such as the wind speed and direction, were favourable, brief surges in the concentrationof some organic pollutants were detected. Fluctuation of levels of benzene in the air also occurred in the same daily pattern as the levels of wood use."

AbstractThe importance of wood combustion to local air quality was estimated by measuring different air pollutants and conducting chemical mass balance modelling. PM10, PM2.5, PAHs and VOC concentrations in ambient air were measured in a typical Finnish residential area. Measurements were conducted in January-March 2006. For some compounds, wood combustion was clearly the main local source at this site. The effect of wood combustion was more clearly seen for organic compounds than for fine particle mass. For fine particles, background concentrations dominated. However, very high, short-lived concentration peaks were detected, when the wind direction and other weather conditions were favourable. For organic compounds, the effect of wood combustion was seen in diurnal and in two-week average concentrations. PAH-concentrations were often several times higher at the residential area than in the background. Benzene concentrations showed similar diurnal pattern as the use of wood and benzene/toluene ratios indicated that wood combustion is the most important source. A chemical mass balance model was used for studying the effect of wood combustion on the measured concentrations of VOCs. Model results showed that the main local sources for VOCs at Kurkimäki are wood combustion and traffic. Wood combustion was clearly the most important source for many compounds (e.g., benzene).

• The Surgeon General has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to ambient smoke!

• If you smell even a subtle odor of smoke, you are being exposed to poisonous and carcinogenic chemical compounds!

• Even a brief exposure to smoke raises blood pressure, (no matter what your state of health) and can cause blood clotting, stroke, or heart attack in vulnerable people. Even children experience elevated blood pressure when exposed to smoke!

• Since smoke drastically weakens the lungs' immune system, avoiding smoke is one of the best ways to prevent colds, flu, bronchitis, or risk of an even more serious respiratory illness, such as pneumonia or tuberculosis! Does your child have the flu? Chances are they have been exposed to ambient smoke!

Does a conceiving woman with Leukemia have to stay in the hospital forever? I'm writing a story about this. So please tell me what pregnant leukemia patients do to keep the baby and herself safe. Tell me about the medications too.

"Domestic burning for heating is responsible for 3– 7 % of benzene emissions in Europe. However, there are clear geographic patterns, e.g. higher emissions in Nordic countrieswhere wood burning in the domestic sector is common. In Sweden the domestic contributionreaches over 50 %."

• The Surgeon General has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to ambient smoke!

• If you smell even a subtle odor of smoke, you are being exposed to poisonous and carcinogenic chemical compounds!

• Even a brief exposure to smoke raises blood pressure, (no matter what your state of health) and can cause blood clotting, stroke, or heart attack in vulnerable people. Even children experience elevated blood pressure when exposed to smoke!

• Since smoke drastically weakens the lungs' immune system, avoiding smoke is one of the best ways to prevent colds, flu, bronchitis, or risk of an even more serious respiratory illness, such as pneumonia or tuberculosis! Does your child have the flu? Chances are they have been exposed to ambient smoke!